Son of man murdered, dumped in cornfield calls death ‘senseless’

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Update (April 10, 2017) -- Damian Coleman was sentenced to 83 years.

Update (Feb. 14, 2017) -- Shawn Hammons was sentenced to 39.5 years with 20 years to be served in the Department of Correction and 19.5 years suspended. He'll spend five years on probation.

Hammons pleaded guilty to dealing cocaine, being a habitual offender and other lesser charges in December 2016. Murder charges were dropped after he agreed to testify against Damian Coleman.

UPDATE 5:50 p.m. -- The Hancock County Sheriff's Department said Thursday they expect to file murder charges against Shawn Hammons on Monday.

Original story:

McCORDSVILLE, Ind. (March 3, 2016) -- The family of a murdered man want answers in his death, saying they believe he was killed for a petty reason.

A passerby spotted the body of Shannon Kitchens, 55, along County Road 500 North near McCordsville Tuesday night. Kitchens had been shot and dumped there, according to the Hancock County Sheriff's Office.

"It’s still just not sinking in. I’m still thinking it’s not even real, like I’m going to wake up and it’s all going to be fake," son Jason Kitchens said.

Kitchens said that he believed his father was killed over a small amount of money, but did not want to discuss specifics as the case is still under investigation.

"As far as we know, it was over something stupid," Kitchens said.

CBS4 learned Wednesday that Shawn Hammons, 40, had been booked into the Hancock County Jail at 4:30 a.m., just hours after Kitchens' body was found. Hammons was being held on charges of failure to report a dead body in connection to the case, but had not been charged with murder or named by the Sheriff's Office as a suspect.

As for Kitchens, he is one of five children in the large family. He said that he and his siblings knew tragedy all too well, after their grandparents were murdered by their cousin in Hamilton County more than 10 years ago.

"We (have) kind of been through this once already and it’s the same thing, we’re not getting answers," Kitchens said.

He said that he hoped to get closure quickly in the case and see justice for his father, who he described as a loving, happy-go-lucky man.

"He is the nicest person. ... He will give the shirt off his back for anybody and it just (doesn't) make any sense. It’s over something senseless," Kitchens said.

The Hancock County Sheriff's Office is investigating the case. Hammons was being held without bond and his case was listed as pending Wednesday night.

Kitchens' family set up a fundraiser to help pay for funeral expenses at the link here.